The present invention relates to an entertainment device, and, more particularly, to a removable front panel of an automobile entertainment device for storing content and/or operating as a stand-alone media player.
Automobile entertainment devices, sound systems in particular, frequently employ a variety of anti-theft features to discourage theft. One known feature is to provide the automobile audio device with a detachable front panel.
In use, the detachable front panel is a control interface. The removable front panel manages and initiates the functionality of the automobile entertainment device, namely the device actuation, volume control, tuning, etc. The front panel may include a small semiconductor memory containing a security identification number or stored tuner presets and the like. The absence of the removable front panel disables the functionality of the automobile entertainment device. Upon exiting the vehicle, an operator removes the front panel and physically carries the front panel away. Thus, much like a traditional ignition key or car alarm transponder, the front panel is carried by the operator until returning to the vehicle. In this way, the entertainment device absent the removable front panel is simply a xe2x80x9cblack boxxe2x80x9d having no readily accessible functionality.
Upon returning to the automobile and attaching the front panel to the entertainment device, the operator is once again able to operate the automobile entertainment device in the usual manner. Typically the operation of an automobile entertainment device includes playing recorded media inserted into the device such as audio cassette tapes and compact disks (CDs). The recorded media may also be transported periodically by the operator from the automobile entertainment device to a home or personal listening device.
As can be appreciated, with the advent of portable electronic devices such as car alarm transponders, personal digital assistants, MP3 players, portable global positioning systems (GPS), cellular telephones and the like, an operator of an automobile is likely to have several of such devices on his/her person in addition to the above front panel and/or recorded media.
A removable front panel for an automobile entertainment device is provided in which stand-alone functionality is enabled and the functionality of one or more of the above mentioned portable devices is consolidated into a single removable front panel device.
The present invention provides an entertainment device having a removably attached front panel. The device includes a main processing station for receiving control parameters and for providing an output signal to an output terminal thereof. The front panel is removably connected to the main processing station for providing control parameters to the main processing station. The front panel includes a panel memory for storing content, the content is provided to the main processing station for output.
The present invention further provides a removable front panel for controlling the operation of an automobile sound system, the automobile sound system includes a main memory. An audio processing means of the front panel codes and decodes audio content. A panel memory means stores audio content of the front panel. A communication means of the front panel is provided for contacting a remotely located party. A control means provides control parameters to the audio processing means and operates the communication means. An interface means links the front panel to the automobile sound system and provides control parameters to the automobile sound system. The audio content of the panel memory is provided to the automobile sound system for output and/or storage in the main memory.